The Southern Spear
by Team-megan
Summary: Set in the Avatar world, Kyra is betrayed by her stepmother & goes on a journey much more difficult than she'd planned on. She faces capture, death, & heartbreak. Her journey takes her all over the world, but is it what she wanted? multi-chaptered
1. Chapter 1

**Some story I've been thinking up for a long time. I've never written myself into the Avatar universe, but I've wanted to. I tried to find an inuit name that would describe me, but there aren't very many good research sites on the internet for that. So I found a name that meant what my real name means. Kyra means "strong" in Slavonic, and my real name Megan means "strong" in Celtic or something like that. Idk. But I know it's one of **_**those**_** names that people use all the time, but I couldn't come up with anything else. :P**

**So this is NOT one of those stories where I meet the gaang and join them and stuff. I'm going on my own life story somewhat and stuff I guess, and taking it from there. **

The Southern Spear

_100 ASC – Earth Kingdom Island off the southeast coast of the mainland, near Kyoshi Island._

My home had always been cold, with snow every winter and long into spring. The pine trees that inhabited our little island were perpetually green, like the Nation I wished so much to be a member of. I was born to an Earthbender and a southern water tribe woman, 19 years ago. I hadn't seen my mother in 15 years, after my father had taken me from her after she'd lost her mind from the Fire Nation raids we had endured.

My father had named me Kyra, much to my mother's chagrin. She had wanted me to have a Water Tribe name- something with too many Q's and K's…but my father had won out in the end, and I'd earned my strong southern Earth Kingdom name. My father had remarried early in my life, to a fire nation colonial he'd met on the mainland. True to her heritage, the woman had a fiery temper, one I'd felt the wrath of many times before. She'd constantly belittled me, making fun of my green eyes and dark skin, the contrasting bloodlines evident in my features.

I had my mother's high cheekbones, and my father's deep-set eyes. My hair was lighter than my native water tribe relatives', but was just as thick, luckily for me in the cold climate of our home island.

I had lived with my two younger brother's- my stepmother and father's children. Neither of the two had gained any of my father's Earth Kingdom traits, much to his disappointment. The only indication of their father's bloodlines was their large bone structure. The older one, Shan, was a Firebender, his fiery temper rivaling his mother's at times. Kazu, the younger one, was thinner, with no bending abilities.

I on the other hand, had miraculously been born with waterbending abilities. My father had encouraged me to refine my skills without the benefit of a teacher. The Fire Nation was ruthless down south; we'd heard of the raids on the Southern tribe, and the rumors of the last Waterbender living in the southern tribe. It had been years since we'd heard anymore of this bender though. Apparently the southern raiders had finally wiped the tribe clean of any defense they'd had.

Father was against all sides of the war, the thought of any military involvement by our family disgusting him more than anything. Sometimes my youngest brother joked that our father was really one of the descendents of the peace-loving air nomads that had lived in the temple just a few thousand miles to the east of our home.

We'd grown up in the middle of nowhere, the main village on our island a few miles from our home in the middle of the pine forest that covered the land. My father had taught us how to live off the land, and how to hide from the enemies that patrolled the world. Frequent visits from the Fire nation made life in the south unbearable. But we'd grown up with it.

And learned how to survive.

Rumors of the Avatar were always quieted by the leaders of the island. No one believed them anyways. The Avatar had obviously died long ago, and the water tribe avatar had never shown themselves.

I figured there would be a way we'd eventually stop the Fire nation, with or without the Avatar. If all of the world would just stand up and fight…but it seemed nothing like that was ever going to happen.

Waterbending was difficult when you'd never studied under a master. The scrolls my father had given me were in an old water tribe language, one I'd never learned. The lines and dots were meaningless symbols to me. The pictures on the other hand, were detailed enough that I'd taught myself 3 full katas in the 7 years I'd been practicing. The water whip had been simple enough, but I'd yet to master anything with enough power behind it to defend myself.

Until I'd learned that anger helped fuel my chi. It had been an accident, 3 years ago, when I'd broken our family's bathtub, where my stepmother had been bathing, her incessant jibes fueling the burning rage inside of me. I'd never gotten along with her in the entire time I'd known her. She had been taunting me about my lack of waterbending skill, after I'd failed to meet her request of heating the bathwater- a skill only Firebenders could use. After I'd politely tried to leave the room, she'd raised her voice and splashed bathwater at me. Screaming about how I wasn't even worth the time and effort.

I had shook with anger, my fists trembling. The water in the room had been eerily still around me, something my stepmother had noticed, since she'd shut up right away.

I had spun around and screamed at her. Letting all of my anger out from the past 13 years I'd known her. The fear in her eyes had told me enough, she knew I was powerful, enough to freeze her in a block of ice. The bathwater frozen into a small wave around her.

I'd stomped out of the room and ran as fast I could to the river in the forest behind our home. There, I was far out of range of her screaming threats and the yells inside our home. I'd learned how to deal with her- by running away everytime things like this had happened. I was a coward in her book.

My father had been proud of me, surprisingly, letting me know that my bending was a gift, something no one could ever take from me. He'd told me that he had been saving secretly for a trip for me to go to the Northern tribe and finally learn from a master.

Inevitably, my stepmother had found the secret stash of money, and had started to spend it under my father's nose.

The night he'd found out had been hell on earth. She'd left our family, taking my half-brothers with her. When she'd come back, the reception she'd been given had been cold enough. But she was back to her old tricks again. Recently, she'd been going to the main village more frequently. My father suspected she was being unfaithful, but last night, we'd found out the real reason…

The door had burst open and there had stood three fire nation soldiers, a lieutenant, and two privates, and my stepmother. My mother had pointed at me, "There she is, the waterbending traitor." I'd stood there shocked when the two privates had lunged forward, I'd instinctively bent everything I could at them, the water from the washing pail my only weapon. I'd run as fast as I could, knocking over lots of things in the process. My father had fought the Firebending lieutenant, my brother Shan helping him, blocking the Firebending attacks with his own.

It had been chaos.

But I'd made it to my secret hiding place. The voices of the two privates echoing throughout the forest around me. My little cave hidden in the dark of the night.

That's where I'd awoken this morning, my hair a mess, the loose braid I'd had it tied back in loose, my hair everywhere, mud on my blue clothes and leather boots- a gift from my grandmother in the Northern tribe. I'd scouted the surrounding area early this morning. The bootprints of the soldiers evident on the trails. They'd obviously given up the search long ago.

I wouldn't dare go home today. I had to plan on going back sometime though. I needed my things- all my scrolls and clothes I'd need.

I was going to run away. Far away.

Footsteps echoed in the pine trees; I hid in the rocks around my cave until the intruder showed themselves. It was my youngest brother Kazu. He had been sneaking around, the pack on his back full.

I leapt out of the bushes and tackled him, muffling his surprised scream with my hand.

His eyes widened in recognition and I'd motioned for him to follow me to the cave. When we got inside, he'd tossed me the bag he'd been carrying, which, much to my delight, held all of the things I had been planning on going to get myself.

"You'll need what I've stuffed in the bottom," Kazu whispered. I found an old leather sheath, inside was a machete and knife, both made of bone, the blue dye on the edges giving them away as water tribe weapons. I looked at my brother, question in my eyes.

He nodded, "Dad gave them to me to give to you… for your journey." His eyes downcast as he'd hugged his knees to his chest. His green tunic was a little big for his 14-year old frame. Under one of the sleeves was a bracelet I'd given him that my mother had left to me, which bore the symbol of my native tribe. He'd always wanted to be like me, his lack of bending abilities something he hated about himself. I'd taught him the moves I knew, which were still good enough for hand-to-hand combat. Kazu handed me a green bag filled with what was left of the money my father had been saving. I thanked him and hugged him around the shoulders. He buried his face into my shoulder, his light brown hair a mess- I knew he'd hadn't slept- the dark circles under his eyes evident.

"I'm going to miss you, Ky'," he choked, wiping the tears from his tan cheeks. I hugged him again for good measure, "Tell Shan to be strong until I come back, and tell Dad I'll send a messenger hawk when I reach Omashu. I'll come for you guys after I've learned as much as I can. I won't be gone long. I'll come back- I promise."

He hugged me once more for good measure and we both left the silence of the cave, checking the forest for any signs of Firebenders. He nodded one last time and hugged me. Whispering goodbye. I held back my tears as I ran as fast as I could to where our family's small boat was docked in the ocean.

I untied the line and hopped in the little catamaran, letting the blue sails out. The wind around our island was strong, good for sailing- something our family had done many times before- when we had still been happy.

I settled into the small hull, trying to find all of the equipment my father had tied down for later. The waterproof leather-like coverings kept water out of the boat would be perfect as a tent. I'd be set. It was a 2 day trip to the mainland and the nearest village I could stop at. As long as I kept the fact that I was a girl, and the fact that I was a Waterbender, secret- I would be okay.

I emptied the bag Kazu had given me, and found my scrolls- safe and sound- along with two tunics and an old parka my mother had left with us. The tunics were boy's clothes- my father had thought ahead. He was good at that. He'd been planning all kinds of things for years. Mostly how to avoid the Fire Nation and the war, et cetera.

I had reached the point where my home island was gone from view- nothing but blue water laid around me. The sun reflecting off the smooth surface. The waves had died down out here, despite the small cold southern breeze.

I was in the middle of nowhere, so I changed into the men's clothes and parka. The knife my father had given me glinted in the sunlight. I unbraided my hair- its length flying free in the wind. I looked over the side of the boat, my reflection looking back at me. I had to look the part, much to my dismay, I'd have to cut my hair. I remembered the style I'd seen many times on the water tribe men who stopped by our village on their way to help with the war. The older men kept their hair long, halfway pulled up, blue beads decorating their hair. I couldn't grow a beard, but I could at least look like a man- my facial structure more masculine than feminine.

I gathered my hair into one hand and grabbed the knife, pulling it from its leather sheath. I grit my teeth and chopped off my hair as close to my head as I could, without shaving it all off. The hair falling into the waves below, to be carried away by the tides. I left enough on the top so I could wear the style I'd seen on the younger water tribe warriors before. I fixed the ragged edges and pulled the top half up in a ponytail. The reflection looking back at me in the water didn't even look like me anymore. The tears running down my face the only evidence of who I really was.

I'd read a story a long time ago, when my father had borrowed some scrolls from a friend, about a young girl, a little older than me, who'd taken her father's armour and made herself look like a man, so she could fight in his stead against a tyrant. It had been one of my favorite stories. Little had I known then, that I'd be doing almost the same thing as that girl.

I tied the leather gauntlets around my forearms, the cloth bindings underneath already part of my disguise. I'd had to bind my chest- something very uncomfortable, but necessary. It would just look to others like I'd been burned long ago and wore bandages under my clothing. The metal shin guards my father had put in the pack where heavy, but I'd need them eventually.

As the night came, I laid in the boat, letting the wind guide me to the mainland. I sailed past Kyoshi island- the darkness hiding me from the island's inhabitants, luckily. The Kyoshi warriors were supposed to be skilled fighters- someone I'd never want to tangle with.

The stars were pinpricks in the black sky. I knew the Spirits would be watching over me- the ocean and moon- Tui and La… they were my only hope in this. This journey would be long and difficult, but I'd make it if I trusted their judgment. They'd protected me from my stepmother and my psychotic mother. I prayed to them now, for help and guidance, for a calm ocean and bright moon to lead me.

The morning came quickly and so did the sight of land. I'd apparently reached the mainland much sooner than I'd expected. But I didn't recognize where I was. The mist around the island hiding everything from view. I pulled out the map and tried to pinpoint my position, but nothing helped. It looked like ride towards shore would be painless, but I wasn't sure if I needed to get off here. The ocean gave me no choice, as I was pushed closer to the land and my boat landed itself. I hopped out of the vessel and pulled it up on the bank, using the water to help.

I didn't recognize anything. The ground was covered in snow in places, the plants in their winter sleep. I pulled the machete from its sheath and headed inland. I could at least find food for later.

But I was stopped in my tracks by something I hadn't expected.

The skeleton of a Fire nation soldier.

This wasn't the mainland. Where was I?

I kept walking, on the lookout now for enemies. An old Fire nation tank lay in a crumpled heap near the slope of the mountain I'd been walking towards. I walked towards it, only to find two more skeletons hanging out of the top of the tank, their fire nation armor the only indication of their race.

The ground I'd been walking on, not even paying attention to, suddenly crunched beneath my feet, and I looked down to find, much to my horror- a human femur. I leapt backwards, my heart in my throat. It was all coming together now. My father had told me the air nomads had been wiped out long ago- and all the air temples had lain bare- testament to the horrors they'd faced.

The strong wind blew the snow away and before me lay more skeletons, the only indication of who they had been in life was the yellow tatters of clothing that had decomposed around the body. My breath failed me. This was an air temple. Unthinking, I ran back to the shore, my heartbeat the only thing I could hear in my ears. As soon as I'd reached my boat, I pushed it off and leaped in, using my waterbending to push me out to sea.

When I'd settled down, and the land had disappeared. I wept silently, the emotions from everything finally overcoming me. I wept for my family, the mother I'd never knew. The father who'd only tried to protect me. The world and all of its troubles and heartache weighed heavily on me now. I was done for if I didn't keep my composure.

I had to live up to my name- I had to be strong.


	2. Chapter 2

**-Chapter 2-**

100 ASC- Earth Kingdom village, near Gaoling.

I'd had to sell my family's boat in the port I'd landed in, much to my frustration, because going by sea was going to be impossible with all of the Fire nation navy patrolling the coasts of the Earth kingdom. The man who'd I'd sold it to had been kind enough to at least give me one of his ostrich horses for transportation. I'd taken the boy's name Akiak, my great-grandfather's name. It means "brave" which it exactly what I needed to be.

Gaoling was half a day away from where I was at. I'd been stopped by a Fire nation patrol hours ago on the road. They'd searched my things, but I'd kept my waterbending scrolls in my boots, just for that exact reason. I'd told them some fake story about me heading to Ba Sing Se as a refugee. They'd threatened to take my money and ostrich horse, so I'd had to give up some of my money- as "tax". It took all my strength to not waterbend them all to oblivion.

It was embarrassing how much I smelled like a man as well… the sweat and grit of riding on a big animal and travelling on the road making me feel horrible. I needed a bath, and some time to waterbend.

Luckily, I found a river on my way. I had been lying in the water, in my underclothes, for the past half hour, letting my ride catch his breath, and eat and drink. I'd practiced for about an hour, before I'd given up and stripped down so I could scrub away the dirt.

I heard someone walking up the path, and quickly jumped out of the water, bending the water away and throwing on my clothes. As the stranger finally showed themselves, I was busy tying my gauntlets tight around my forearms, and tying my hair back. The man was large- an earth kingdom soldier- his armor thrown over one of his shoulders. His hair was dark, pulled back into a ponytail. His dark green eyes flashed in the sunlight. He stopped when he spotted me and my ostrich horse. I waved at him, politely and he paused before returning the gesture. He approached at I tied my machete to my leg.

"Hello, stranger," his voice rumbled. I nodded at him, hoping my voice would be deep enough to fool him, "Hello."

"Are you from around here?" he inquired. I shook my head as a negative. He grunted and sat down on a rock across from me, dusting his bare feet off. He was good-looking to be honest- but I had to remind myself that I was in disguise. I was supposed to be a man. He set his armor aside and stretched his back out, scratching his goatee and setting his helmet aside. His uniform gave away that he was an Earthbender.

"Are you headed to Gaoling?" he asked, after the awkward silence became too much.

"Yeah, I need to send a message there," I answered, keeping my response vague. "Well, I could join you- I'm heading there as well," he offered.

"Will it keep the Fire nation patrols away?" I asked. He laughed, "No, it will make dealing with them a little more difficult, but I can at least lead you there off the road, where they wouldn't be."

I sighed, "Fine. We'll head out then."

"What's your name, kid?" he asked as he put his armor back on, tying the strings to keep the metal and leather on his torso.

"Akiak," I lied, keeping my alias. "A good strong Water Tribe name. You must be a southerner," he commented, "I'm Shei Lin, I'm from Omashu originally, but I joined the army a few years back."

"I'm heading to Omashu eventually, after I reach Gaoling," I told him, a little mad at myself for revealing so much to an acquaintance. I mounted the ostrich horse and he followed, sitting behind me and holding onto the leather straps on the saddle.

We rode through the paths he told me about, and when night fell, we'd reached Gaoling. I asked Shei about the flying boar symbols on some of the many inns and shops. He told me the Bei Fong family owned most of the city and had helped fund the war effort for years.

We found a room at an inn, and Shei paid for it, much to my relief. I needed to save my money. I took the bed near the window and slept in my clothes, leaving my boots beside the bed, and stashing my scrolls back in my bag.

Shei on the other hand, stripped down to his shorts and left his armor lying all over the floor, much to my frustration. He snored like a hippo-cow throughout much of the night. I laid there in my bed, on top of the covers, the night breeze from the open window blowing over me. I stared at the ceiling, thinking about what I'd been through so far. I'd made it this far, without too much trouble. It had taken so long to finally make it here, it had been 6 weeks of travelling. Of sleeping in the dirt and riding an ostrich horse all day. Hiding from the Fire nation and going days without using my bending.

I sat up in bed and put my boots back on, putting my money in my waistband. I brought my bag with me and chanced a look at Shei, who was still snoring in his bed. I sighed and heading outside to the fountain I'd see when we rode into Gaoling earlier. I set my bag on the edge of the fountain and took my stance. The water rose under my command, the bubble of liquid rising up into the air. I shifted through the stances, guiding my chi. Timing my breathing with the movements, I made my energy yield to the water and the energy around me. I'd learned how to make the water obey me by flowing with it. It had taken a long time to master this- understanding the flow of energy around me and within me. I had read countless scrolls and old documents that my father had kept from my mother.

I finished the sequence and streamed the water back into the fountain. Clapping sounded from behind me. I spun around, a stream of water already at my command, hanging in midair, ready to spring to action with only a movement of my hands.

Shei stood there, his hands up to shield himself. I put the water back into the fountain and kept my back to the soldier.

"So you're a Waterbender…" he mused. I growled, "I thought you were asleep."

"I was, until I woke up after I fell off the bed and saw you were gone." I suppressed a laugh. Really? This guy was something. "I thought all of the southern Waterbenders were gone," he commented.

"They are- I'm not from the Southern tribe… I mean, my mother was from there…but I'm half earth kingdom as well…"

I sat on the edge of the fountain, playing with the ties on her gauntlets. Shei stood in front of me, his arms crossed, "I'm sorry, Akiak, but at least you survived the raids."

"Yeah, that's something right?" I joked, breaking the mood. Shei yawned and turned back around, "It's time for me to try and sleep again… We have a long journey to Omashu from here." I followed him back to the inn, laying on top of the covers, in my clothes and boots. Shei laid in his bed and started chuckling.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked.

"You don't have to be on guard all the time kid, this is Gaoling. The Bei Fong's pay to keep the city safe from the Fire nation," Shei assured me.

I sighed and turned over, facing away from Shei. He wished me goodnight and the rest of the night was spent asleep.

The sun shone through the window and I rose with it, washing my face in the basin by the mirror, and tying my hair back into the warrior wolftail I'd come to get used to. The journey to Omashu would take a couple days, but it all depended on Shei and his beauty sleep. He was still snoring like a wild animal in his bed. The green sheets twisted around his almost naked body. He'd stripped down to his shorts again, much to my embarrassment. But he did _think_ I was a man as well, so it was understandable. I threw a pillow at the Earthbender and he snorted, sitting up, finally awake.

I shook my head and threw my satchel over my shoulder. I went out to the stables and untied my ostrich horse, giving the stablemaster some copper pieces for his trouble. Shei walked out of the inn, his huge round helmet shading his eyes from the sun. His armor clanked loudly as he approached me and our ride. His bare feet were dirty already and I sighed inside. Why were men _always_ dirty?

He smelled like I had before I'd gotten a bath in, like sweat and body odor. It was awful riding with him. But he was willing to pay for the room, and his sense of humor was bearable.

We had been traveling for 2 days and Omashu was only a day away, since we'd have to go over the mountain soon, it would mean walking tomorrow.

We were sitting around the campfire, Shei's armor laying in a heap by the log he was sitting on- he was talking about something- but I wasn't listening. I was paying attention to the sky, watching the stars twinkle with the crescent moon. Soon, my bending would be stronger- when the moon was full. But before that I'd have to suffer through the new moon- when I was at my weakest. Luckily, earthbenders didn't rely on the moon, so we'd be safe.

I'd also been paying attention to the forest around us, and had been focusing on the sound of footsteps and the faint clanking of armor coming from the road we'd be travelling on.

Shei stopped his incessant talking and looked to where I was looking,

"What are you-"

His question was interrupted as a flame appeared in the darkness, illuminating the face of a Fire nation captain, and the 8 men following him.

He sneered as he approached our campsite.

"Good evening gentlemen, I'd heard that there were two travelers just north of our base, so I've come to investigate."

Shei and I looked at each other, the realization evident in our eyes. We'd stopped in a small village overrun with soldier around midday and the shop keeper we'd bought supplies from had seemed a little suspicious of us. Our kindness to this shop owner had apparently come back to bite us in the rear.

Shei and I stood, Shei bowing in a traditional earth kingdom greeting, his fist placed against his open palm. The captain ignored his respectful gesture and approached us, his men surrounding our campsite.

"We don't allow travelers to leave our watch without paying a 'tax' to our base," the captain hissed menacingly. Shei glared at the soldier, his green eyes flashing in the firelight. I had recently bought a water pouch from a dealer who'd been selling water tribe gear. I opened the cap and prepared to attack.

"We don't support the fire nation, let alone scumbags like you and your men," Shei spit defiantly at the captain's feet. The Firebenders erupted around us- flaming fists coming much too close to the both of us. Shei nodded to me and I understood- we were going to stand our ground against these thugs.

"You will pay for that, earthbending peasant!" The captain screamed. The captain was the first one to strike, but Shei blocked his attack with an earthen wall, pushing the man far from our campsite. I water whipped six of the soldiers around me, kicking the seventh in the groin and punching the eighth in the face. All eight men doubled over in pain and Shei and I worked to dispatch them quickly, fighting together with different attacks until nine men laid around us is agony, either too hurt to get up or unconscious.

Shei gathered his armor and I grabbed my things and we both ran for our lives, pulling the ostrich horse along with us. We laughed at our predicament, trying to catch our breath. When we were out of sight from the camp, we mounted the ostrich horse and took off into the night.

"Good job back there," I laughed to Shei. He chuckled behind me, "You too."

We reached Omashu in the morning, climbing the mountain that hid the city from view. We were exhausted from the night travel we'd done. I'd never been to the earth kingdom, nor had I seen the legendary city. I'd heard the story of the two lovers and how Omashu came to be. My father may have kept us from the world- but he'd educated us about its legends and people. I knew enough to survive on my own.

King Bumi had ruled Omashu for 70 years, and so far, he'd been doing a great job- since the city had been one of the Earth Kingdom's greatest strongholds since the war began.

Shei had offered to pay for a new Ostrich horse, since ours had gotten a little worse for the wear throughout our journey.

The guards at the front gate gave us no trouble, recognizing Shei's uniform. One of them gave us news we hadn't expected,

"Did you hear the Avatar is alive?"

We'd stopped in our tracks, not believing his words. "What?" Shei asked, as much of a skeptic as I was of this new information.

"Yeah, he was hear just a few days ago. Avatar Aang is an airbender, King Bumi welcomed him and sent him on his way. He was travelling towards the north pole with two water tribe kids a little younger than you," he said, pointing at me. "They were southerners, maybe you know them," he asked me.

I shook my head, "No, I don't live in the southern tribe. W-what's the avatar like? He has to be ancient if he's survived this long…"

The guard laughed, much to Shei and my confusion. "Ha, no, no – the avatar is just a kid."

Both Shei and my jaws dropped. "A kid!"

The guard had pushed us along, laughing the whole time. When Shei and I had regained our senses, we found the nearest Ostrich horse dealer and traded our ride for a newer model, ha.

We stayed at an Inn on the lower level of the city. They pointed out the nearest messenger's post where I could finally write to my family.

I told them about what had happened so far and where I was. I assured my father that I was safe and sound. I left Shei out- knowing my father would never understand. I told him about the avatar and the unfortunate loss of our family boat. I at least gave him the name of the man I'd sold it to- in case Dad wanted it back. I tied the seal on the scroll and handed it to the messenger.

I headed back to my room at the inn and decide a real bath sounded wonderful. Shei was out exploring the city- he'd never been here during his tour of duty he claimed. So while he was out being a tourist, I was soaking in a large earthen tub, bending the steam around me, finally free from the sweaty, constricting bindings I'd been forced to wear. It felt good to be free. I hated how short my hair was. It was easier to take care of, that was sure, but it was embarrassing… when I really was a woman underneath all of this.

Shei had been treating me like a little brother- which was fine with me. But lately, I'd been feeling this fluttering in my stomach. Whenever he pulled me out of the way of fire blasts, I'd felt like there was a connection there. When he'd looked into my eyes- I'd felt like he'd figured out my secret, seen through my disguise. What would he think if he found out? Would it change everything?

I sighed and pulled myself out of the water, bending it off of my body. I needed some lotion, but my brother had forgotten to pack my favorite seaweed lotion with the other things he'd given me. I sighed in frustration and settled for the oil that was sitting in a bottle in the bathroom. It smelled like mint and some other spice I'd never smelled. At least it was keeping my skin healthy. I really wished that I looked more like the girl I was so I could enjoy the spas nearby.

I looked at myself in the mirror- a luxury I'd gotten used to as I'd been travelling. We'd never had one at our home. There had never been a need for something so expensive. The water's surface had always shown me a little of what I'd looked like. I had started to understand why everyone told me I looked like my father- the high cheekbones more evident as I'd lost weight during my travels. The lack of food something I'd started to get used to. The weight loss showed itself all over my body- the muscles in my legs and arms more defined- more masculine. At least starving was good for my disguise. My eyes in the lighting of the bathroom looked more blue than green, a nod to my heritage.

I had been so busy brushing my hair and making sure I didn't smell too much like a girl, that I hadn't heard Shei come in to the room. He opened the bathroom door, expecting the room to be empty. Both of us yelled at the same time, well…er, I kind of screamed, like a girl and covered what I could with the towel on the counter. His green eyes were wide, looking over my body once, then shielding his eyes and turning around. He apologized profusely, running out of the bathroom. I caught my breath and slammed the wooden door shut.

After a half an hour of trying to regain my composure to leave the bathroom and regain my modesty, I walked out into the main room to find Shei holding his head in his hands, bent over his knees.

"Shei…" I didn't even try to disguise my voice this time. He didn't even turn around.

"Akiak isn't your real name is it?"

I sighed in resignation, "No, it's not."

"And you're a woman…" he accused. I hung my head.

"Yes."

Shei stood and looked at me- being painfully obvious in looking at my face only. "So who are you, then, really?"

I shook my head, "I'm Kyra… I was being truthful though- my mother was from the Southern Water Tribe, and my father from the Southern Earth Kingdom. I really am going to the north pole. I'm just not a man… like you thought I was."

His only reply to all of this was, "I see."


	3. Chapter 3

**-Chapter 3-**

_100 ASC- Omashu lower city_

The bathroom incident went unspoken about for the rest of the day. Shei had offered to take me out to see some of the sights of the city he'd found. I'd accepted and we'd been walking around the big city for hours. It was getting dark and the shopkeepers had started to light lanterns or close up shop for the day. The street lanterns illuminated the stone streets and people were still walking around, finishing their activities of the day.

Shei had been content to just walk in silence, every once in a while pointing out a restaurant that had particularly good food, or a shop with some interesting wares. He was like a little kid, excited with all of the new sights.

As the bustling city quieted down, so had Shei. He finally spoke as we started to walk back towards the lower city.

"So why did you disguise yourself as a man in the first place?"

It was the first mention of what had happened earlier that he'd had made in hours. I looked up at him as he looked back at me. There was something different shining in his eyes- protectiveness and maybe even admiration. After the embarrassing situation we'd been in earlier, his whole attitude towards me had changed.

"I guess it seemed logical at the beginning. It's saved me from rape and stuff, I guess… people look at me and see a man and it keeps me safe from those who would take advantage of me."

Shei nodded, "That's a good reason. War comes with its atrocities."

I agreed as we walked back to the inn where we were staying. The streets were almost clear, a few soldiers and citizens still heading home or patrolling.

"Don't you miss looking like a girl?" Shei asked, out of the blue.

I sighed, thinking. Shei was watching me. He'd abandoned his armor in our room, the tan and green robes he wore underneath were surprisingly clean.

"Yeah, I miss it a lot… but I have to stay disguised for a reason," I admitted.

Shei looked at me oddly, "No you don't," he argued, "You're traveling with a big, manly Earthbending stud."

I laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't think anyone will mess with you if you go back to looking like a girl."

My giggles died down, "Fine, fine. I'll let my hair grow back out then, but I don't have anything but men's clothes now-"

"I'll buy you some girl clothes," he offered. I waved him off, "No, Shei it's fine-"

"Seriously, it's no big deal. I'm on leave right now, and everytime we stop in a city, I just go collect my weekly time off pay. Trust me. Water tribe clothes can't be _that_ expensive."

Shei regretted his offer when we stopped at a dealer who sold my tribe's clothing and gear.

"Ok, ok, I take it back. Water tribe clothes are seriously expensive."

"Oh shut up, you're the one who offered to pay," I called from the fitting room, tying the dark blue waistband around the robes I'd picked out. The robe came down to my knees, the dark blue trim accenting the lighter blue parts. The pants I'd been wearing were kinda big, but they worked with what I was wearing. I decided I'd only get the robes anyway, and some underclothes, because, by the Spirits, if I had to bind my chest any longer I was going to go crazy.

I straightened my clothes and stepped out from behind the curtain. Shei turned around and his face turned red.

"What?" I asked, a little self-conscious, "Does it look bad?"

He shook his head profusely, "No, no it looks…you - you look way better…" He smiled softly. His eyes stopped at the top of my head, frowning slightly, "Too bad your hair is still manly though…"

I laughed, punching him in the arm. He paid for my clothes and took my bag from me- slinging it over his shoulder, much to my frustration. We walked back to the inn, every so often I'd glance over to find the Earthbender staring at me. He'd blush and look away when I met his eyes.

We settled into our separate beds, Shei left his robes on this time.

He sat up, looking at me as I laid there, "Kyra?"

I looked over at him, the light from the window illuminating his face. His scruffy goatee framing his mouth.

"Hmm?" I replied.

"Did you ever have someone back at home, like a boyfriend?" his face turned pink as he asked this. He was only a year older than me, and yet he acted like such a little kid sometimes.

I looked back at the ceiling, remembering the boys I'd dated from our village. All of them had been immature and sexist. They'd all known each other too… so I'd stop letting them take me out on dates, much to my stepmother's chagrin- she'd wanted to get rid of me by marrying me off. Even though I'd been 15 at the time…

"I've dated guys before I guess," I replied, remembering Shei's question, "but none of them were special or anything."

He nodded and laid back down. Staring up at the ceiling with me.

"So… what do you think about the Avatar? I mean, he just appeared out of nowhere, and from what the people have said, he was much too young to be serious about fighting a war for us."

Shei's question made me think, I mean, what could we expect from a kid only a few years younger than ourselves? People said Avatar Aang would eventually have to fight the Fire Lord, if this war was going to end…

But he was still a kid… just a little younger than my youngest brother. I'd never expect my brother Kazu to fight a tyrant and save the world.

"I don't know, I guess we'll have to see how everything goes. If the Avatar has made it to Omashu in one piece so far, then he should have no problem getting to the North… some lady shopping in the market today said he has a flying bison- this huge white, fluffy thing that kinda looks like a flying hippocow, I guess."

Shei laughed, "A flying bison? That just sounds crazy."

I sat up, "It's not crazy! I mean, there used to be a whole bunch of those bison before Sozin's comet and the war…"

Shei just shook his head, "I just can't see how something so big could fly."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Goodnight, Shei."

"'Night, Kyra."

I rolled over and let sleep overtake me.

The next morning we loaded our new ostrich horse and headed out of the city, towards the Si Wong desert. We'd stay on the edge of the desert and head north from there. We'd have to stay west of the Kolau mountain range, the mountains Omashu was hidden in. Then from there, we'd head north, crossing two huge rivers before we'd been in the clear to head to the northernmost part of the Earth Kingdom without any trouble.

We'd be facing Fire nation bases and colonies along the way, plus countless other obstacles.

Shei was the one driving this time, he'd encouraged me to rest and lean on him until we traded places. I followed his request, seeing his cheeks redden as I'd wrapped my arms around his waist. We were just friends, though, right? I could feel his heartbeat against my cheek as I rested my head on his back, and it was definitely going faster than usual. I sighed and let my mind wander.

Before I knew it, I was being gently shaken awake. Shei's whispers the only sound my sleepy mind could process, before I knew what was happening, I was being lifted down from the ostrich horse and carried. My eyes focused finally and I could see the strong earthbender's face watching where he was going. I smiled and snuggled under his chin, feeling him gasp a little in surprise. He set me down in the grass, and I shook my head, letting him know I was fine. My brain wasn't as foggy from sleep. I stood and stretched and helped him unload our camping supplies. He lit the fire and I tied our ostrich horse to the nearest tree, watering and feeding the poor animal. We'd pushed the poor thing to its limits today, only a few days from our first river crossing.

We were near Gaipan, which we'd heard had recently been struggling with attacks from a group of teenagers and kids who hid in the forest around the area. Shei had mentioned this to me, and we'd laughed, hoping the kids only attacked Firebenders.

The fire had been burning for hours now, but both of us hadn't agreed on sleeping.

Shei was looking at me right now, across the fire. The intensity in his gaze made me look away, knowing I was blushing. I could see him smile and go back to poking at the fire. Why does he have to make it complicated now? It was so easy just being friends with him and not worrying about the romantic tension.

"Kyra…"

I looked back at him again, his face had the same pink tinge I'm sure mine did.

"Are we… best friends?"

"Of course, Shei…" I replied, not exactly sure where he was going with this.

"Good, I'm glad we're best friends."

"Me too."

Silence again, awkward and long.

"Are we more than that though?"

The question stopped my heart… no he didn't say that, he couldn't have. I was dreaming because there's no way he could be asking me this.

I looked up at him, the questioning look on Shei's face making my heart flutter. I smiled, blushing again.

"I-I… don't know…"

He swallowed slowly, "Don't you want to be more than friends?"

I didn't meet his eyes for a moment. But when I looked up, my stomach was filled with butterflies again.

"Yes."

The seconds after my confession, all was still. Shei looked up at me, his face a mixture of emotions. I didn't know what to expect. But when he'd lunged towards me, and I'd stood from my seat near the fire. Our lips had met, him pulling me closer to him and leaning down to kiss me. I'd reached up and held his face to mine.

I'd dreamed of this for months, hoping that somehow I would be able to explain everything to Shei and move forward from there. He had wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me to him as he kissed me. It was everything I'd hoped it would be. Until he pulled away, my groan of disappointment making him smile. He hugged me closer, sighing in content.

Weeks passed, and we'd been traveling since that night that we'd finally confessed our feelings. Shei was more affectionate than I'd been used to. The boys I'd dated back home had been reserved… more fake with their feelings than Shei was. The big Earthbender would wake me up every morning and pull me out of my sleeping bag, hugging me close and laughing when I'd groan in frustration at the interruption of my sleep.

When we'd bathe in the rivers we rested by, Shei would bend mud on me after I'd cleaned up, and I would completely soak him with a wave. We'd end up clean in the end, but soaked to the bone. It was usually nothing I couldn't fix with waterbending though.

The fire nation patrols were few and far between now that we'd crossed the two rivers that had lain in our path. The north was of little interest to the Fire Nation, or so we'd thought. We were entering the village of Chu Han. The northernmost village besides the Northern Air Temple.

Shei and I's relationship had progressed, we held hands more and chose to walk more, instead of riding the ostrich horse, which was one of the reasons it had taken us so long to get where we were. My hair had finally grown back to its normal length. I'd had to keep the layers consistent, since the top part had originally been longer that underneath. I'd finally gotten my hair to the length and style with which I felt comfortable. Shei appreciated my attention to my hair, he was always sitting behind me, offering to brush my hair or style it.

After he'd put my hair in this horrible looking half-ponytail thing, though, I'd stop letting him style my hair. It _had_ been funny though…

Chu Han was bustling with fire nation soldiers, more than we had originally expected. Shei was keeping me close to him. We'd have to sell our ostrich horse to get across the northern sea to the North Pole.

We found a man willing to buy our mount, and Shei was haggling price with the shopkeeper at the moment. I watched the street and the Firebender patrols. I hated the way they looked at me. I hated how they looked at people of the other nations in general. It was disgust and haughtiness in their eyes. I wanted to waterbend their red and black butts into the sea…

I'd been watching the street so intensely that Shei surprised me when he came up behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist. He laughed when I jumped and took my hand, leading me towards the docks, where the boat to the North would be.

"Shei! Is that you?"

Both of us turned to face the voice. An earth kingdom girl around my age stood in the middle of the street, her arms full with with supplies. She ran up to the two of us, and I looked up at Shei. His face was almost white, realization and fear in his face. He let go of my hand, his body absolutely still.

The girl was absolutely beautiful, her long dark hair and deep brown eyes making me feel like the ugly turtle-duckling. She set her bags down on the ground and ran up to Shei, hugging him much more intimately than I'd expect a stranger to do…

When she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Shei on the lips, I'd about had it. Why wasn't he explaining things to her… what the heck was going on here?

I cleared my throat loudly, knowing I was being rude. The girl stopped kissing Shei and turned towards me, giving me a once-over before glaring and asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm his-"

Shei interrupted me, "She's my friend. I've been helping her get to the North pole so she can learn waterbending from a master."

My heart dropped, had he just said that? To this… girl? My mind couldn't focus on one thing. I was trying to piece things together when she'd proclaimed, "Shei is my fiancé, I've missed him. He's been gone for so long fighting the Firebenders. I thought I'd never see him again."

I didn't hear the rest of her rambling explanation, my heart was aching already. How could Shei do this to me? Let me be with him and think we were meant to be? He was engaged to be married.

The look on his face said it all.

I had been some fling to him. Something inside of me broke right then. I didn't care that we were in the middle of the market, or that there were fire nation soldiers everywhere, I just let my rage take over.

All of the water in a 50 foot radius of me trembled under my raging chi.

"Shei…"

He looked at me, fear in his eyes. He knew that he'd done something wrong now. He tried to explain, but nothing came out of his lying mouth. Tears were pouring down my face, uncontrollably.

"Kyra-"

"NO! Don't touch me!" I exploded then, the water around me leaping to my command. I focused all of my rage at this man… this horrible person who'd taken advantage of me. His sputtering useless protests and excuses were drowned out as I brought all of the water down on him, enveloping him in a bubble of water. I moved my arms in what resembled a high block, the water forming a column of swirling energy. My hands trembled, the tears still streaming down my face.

I couldn't hear the screams of Shei's fiancée, or the warnings from the Fire nation soldiers slowing surrounding me. The villagers stares and yelling did nothing to quell my rage.

All I could see was how much Shei and I had been through. I'd given everything to him. More than I had wanted to, and now I was paying for it. But he would pay now.

I slammed him back down on the ground and stormed past him, not even bothering to look at him. The fire nation soldiers who tried to arrest me were quickly taken out with my bending.

I gathered my things from where they'd been laying in the ostrich horse dealer's shop. He'd looked at me in wonder. Waterbenders usually never left the northern tribe.

I stormed off towards the ships, not caring that I was being watched. Shei and I were over, and I never wanted to see him again.

I paid the ship's captain and he showed me to where I could stay for the ride to the northern tribe. The other passengers spared me a glance, but one look at my face told them that speaking to me wasn't going to get them on my good side.

The captain came down to below deck and let us know that we'd had reached the northern tribe, and had to come above deck for the ship to get into the city. I'd followed the other passengers and watched as the huge ice gates opened for us, Waterbenders standing on either side, helping propel us along through the passageways.

The city was much bigger than I'd thought it would be.

But I had finally made it.


End file.
